The Long Journey
by wsdsrdbw4096
Summary: First Tom and Jerry story. After getting kicked out by Tom's original owner, Tom and Jerry embarks on a journey to Chicago for a new owner after seeing a newspaper ad promoting the city. However, a luggage mix-up following an accident led to the duo having to run and hide from two wanted bank robbers. Please read and review! Prequel to A Troubling time in Coolsville.
1. Kicked out

**Author's note: This is my first attempt at a _Tom and Jerry_ story, and is first of my two-part series that will cover my take as to how the duo end up living with Joan and George after getting kicked out by Tom's original owner.**

 **I don't own _Tom and Jerry_. Hanna-Barbera Productions and Warner Bros. does.**

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Chapter 1: Kicked out

 _April 11, 2008_

 _Location: New York City_ **(Note: This is the city where I've actually pictured the duo living in from the classical shorts)**

"I've had enough, Thomas!" Ms. Brown the maid yelled frustratingly as she booted Thomas "Tom" Cat, a house cat with grey-blue fur, out of her house, along with two suitcases packed with his belongings, into the dark evening in suburban New York. **(Note: Ms. Brown is actually the name I've pictured for Mammy Two Shoes in the past when I watched the classical shorts, before I knew her actual name, and I honestly preferred my imagined name than Mammy Two Shoes as a name.)**

"I don't know why, but every time I ask you to do the simple task of catching that no-good mouse, Thomas, you end up causing a huge mess in the house! Now get out!"

Tom didn't respond. He was frustrated at the chase that had gone wrong, a chase that ended with massive damage in the house.

Seeing the action from the living room, Jerry applauded what Ms. Brown was doing. He no longer need to worry about getting bugged by the cat any longer.

But Ms. Brown wasn't done yet.

Turning to see Jerry applauding, she looked down to him and asked, "So you think that just because I've thrown Thomas out means that things will be easy on you, did you?"

Jerry looked up and grinned nervously as he stopped applauding.

"Unfortunately, darling, that's going to be the opposite. Get out, now!" Ms. Brown barked as she got her broom stick.

Jerry gasped and immediately raced towards his mouse hole. He quickly packed several of his belongings into his two suitcases and then raced out of the house, returning only to put up a "For Sale" sign by the mouse hole.

Jerry soon ran into Tom, who was frowning at him.

Smiling nervously, Jerry waved at him as if he was saying, "Looks like both of us got kicked out for good."

Instead of growling at the mouse like he usually does when he was in a bad mood, Tom simply turned around and walked down the sidewalk as if he was saying, "Yeah, right. For you getting kicked out, that's your problem, not mine. I'm through with living with that lady anyhow."

Jerry immediately raced down the sidewalk to join the cat and tugged his tail. When Tom stopped and turned and shrugged in an annoyed motion, Jerry shrugged as if he was saying, "Well, now the problem is, where are you going?"

Tom pointed at himself as if he was saying, "Me? I really don't care, as long as my new owner isn't as much as a nut-head as Ms. Brown. Now toddle off, mouse."

Tom then proceeded to brush Jerry away with a paw, but Jerry stopped him and keeled down at at him as if he was saying, "May I come with you, please? You know that I will feel lonely and bored without your chasing."

Tom rolled his eyes. Jerry really can be annoying at times and is really fond of getting him into trouble, mainly with Ms. Brown and Spike the Bulldog, who has moved away several months back. However, Tom did find Jerry a good pal when he is cooperative and they've went through plenty of misadventures together before.

As well, Jerry find that being chased by Tom can be fun when he has nothing else to do, and he largely preferred getting chased than being lonely and bored.

Finally, the cat waved his hand in a gesture as if he was saying, "Fair enough. Come along then, mouse. But no tricks."

Jerry nodded his thanks before his face expression turned into one that asks, "So where are we going, then?"

Tom shrugged as if he was replying. "I honestly have no clue."

As the duo walked down the sidewalk, a gust of wind led a newspaper page to end up right in Tom's face.

"Now what do we have here?" Tom thought as he took the page down and read it's contents.

In the page was an advertisement for cats, promoting Chicago as a good place for cats to live in.

It was then that Tom remembered that some of his buddies were adopted a few months back in Chicago, and in their email messages to him, they all noted that they were their time living there and that he should go join them.

Tom then snapped his fingers as if he was saying, "I know where we should go!"

Jerry turned to him as if he was asking, "Where?"

Tom showed the page to Jerry and pointed at the name "Chicago" as if he was replying, "To Chicago."

Jerry nodded in excitement. He actually got some friends living in the city as well, so he also felt okay with the idea of going to Chicago.

He then waved his hand in the motion to come along as if he was saying, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Tom nodded in agreement before checking his pockets for any money. **(Note: In my stories, it is possible for characters to pull out objects from thin air, as I'm going to be using plenty of cartoon physics in my stories, although I'm still keeping the storyline realistic.)** With plenty of twenty-dollar bills and some change, along with a credit card, he figured that he should be able to afford to buy a train ticket to Chicago.

Jerry also did the same thing, and he noted that he's got his credit card and some change with him.

After checking his pocket, Tom turned and saw an approaching taxi. Immediately, he raised his hand for the taxi and it stopped.

"Where to, bud?" The taxi driver asked as the duo got on. He didn't seem to care about the fact that a cat and a mouse just boarded his taxi.

Seeing an atlas map on the back of the driver's seat, Tom took it and flipped several of its pages before reaching the page that showed the area where Pennsylvania Station is shown. He then pointed at the railroad station on the map.

"Oh, Penn Station, huh? You got it, bud." The driver nodded before shifting the taxi into drive once Tom buckled up.

About fifteen minutes later, the taxi pulled into the drop-off area of the railroad station, and the duo got off after paying the fare.

With that, the duo made their way into Penn Station for the train to Chicago. Little did they realize that their journey is about to be spliced up.

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 **What awaits the duo? Please read and review!**


	2. The derailment

Chapter 2: A Wanted poster, all abroad and the derailment

As the duo made their way towards the platforms after buying their train tickets, they stopped by a Wanted poster.

The poster had two sinister-looking figures with their faces facing the camera, along with the labels:

"WANTED

Stewart "Stewie" Harper and Peter "Pistol Pete" Poilievre

Crimes: Grand larceny, armed robbery and fraud

If sighted, please contact the Central Robbery Division. Do not approach, both men are considered to be armed and dangerous.

Reward: $10 000"

Tom raised his eyebrows as he read the Wanted poster. Both of the men looked rather harmless, although their appearances did reminded him of some of the crooked politicians that are running the government north of the border.

His thoughts were interrupted by Jerry tapping his shoulder, who then proceeded to point at the train departures sign as if he was saying, "Tom, we better head over to the platforms now. Our train departs in fifteen minutes!"

Tom glanced at the sign. Sure enough, their train to Chicago is due to depart in fifteen minutes.

Knowing that it is likely that they may have to go through security, the duo quickly took off.

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Meanwhile, the same two figures whose mugshots were on the Wanted Poster were hidden in another area of the station with a luggage cart nearby

"You know, Stewie, I don't know about this." Pete said to his partner. They were both donning luggage-handler costumes and white gloves. "What if someone sees through our disguises?"

"Don't worry." Stewie replied confidently. "We'll do just fine if you act natural."

"Right." Pete nodded before the two crooks put their plan in motion, where they pose as luggage-handlers and started pushing a cart loaded with luggages, including two leather suitcases containing their loot.

Arriving at the security checkpoint, the two crooks pushed the cart through the open checkpoint gate, with the security officers being unaware that they were actually the wanted robbers in disguise.

After a while, Pete said, "Boy, that sure was as clean as a whistle."

"Right." Stewie nodded as they continued pushing the cart to their train. "We'd better hurry now. The train's due to leave in about ten minutes."

Soon, a short time later, the two crooks arrived at their train, still pushing the cart.

After loading the luggage onto the train's luggage car, the two crooks pushed the cart aside and sneaked onto the train just as Tom and Jerry were boarding the train.

Tom witnessed the two crooks sneaking on the train and raised an eyebrow. Since when does luggage handlers board the train?

Before he could enquire, he heard the train horn, indicating that the train is about to depart in five minutes.

Momentarily forgetting about what he had witnessed, the cat boarded the train.

Soon, the carriage doors closed and the train started pulling out of the platform of New York Penn Station.

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The train ride from New York to Chicago is estimated to take six hours with stops at Albany, Buffalo, Cleveland and South Bend along the way.

Owing the fact that it was an overnight train, Tom and Jerry decided to get some sleep in their cabin. It has been a long day and both were exhausted by how the day turned out.

Tom leaned his seat down so he could take a rest, while Jerry opted to set up his hammock below Tom's seat.

Exhausted by the long day, the duo eventually dozed off to sleep.

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A few hours went by as the train sped down the tracks, making the occasional stop at the city's along the way.

Before long, the train was at the outskirts of Cleveland and is ten minutes before reaching the station.

However, while the train was speeding down a section of curved track through a wooded area, one of the locomotive engineers noticed something peculiar in the nature of the tracks ahead in the darkness.

"Uh oh." The first engineer said when he looked through the binoculars. "There's a large dent in the rails!"

"Blast! Stop the train!" The second engineer cursed as he quickly applied the brakes, causing the wheels to screech loudly.

In the passenger carriages behind the locomotive, the passengers that were standing suddenly lost their balance when the brakes were applied and the train started to slow down.

Unfortunately, the brakes were applied too late and with the train travelling downhill, it was hard for it to come to a complete stop before reaching the dented rails.

The locomotive was the first of the train to jump the rails after the wheels rolled past the dented track, followed by the first three, four passenger carriages.

Tom and Jerry's sleep were interrupted by the massive, heavy shaking of the carriage as the train derailed.

"What's going on?" Tom thought as he was shaken awake by the massive shaking of the carriage.

Jerry shrugged as if he was saying, "I have no idea."

Struggling to get up from their seats, the duo went to the window and saw the tracks but no sleeper under the carriage, which indicated that the carriage has derailed.

It seemed like hours before the train finally came to a complete stop in a ditch. By the end, the locomotive and five of the twelve carriages had completely derailed while another three carriages have came off the rails.

While awaiting rescue crews, the passengers and the crew tried to climb out of the carriages.

Some of the passengers were shaken up by the derailment, but it was a miracle that no one was injured in the incident, although the locomotive took quite a hit as it collided with a tree before coming to a complete stop, detaching from the carriages in the process.

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 **Uh oh. Looks like Tom and Jerry are in trouble now. What awaits the cat and mouse duo?**

 **All I can tell you folks is to stay tuned, and please read and review!**

 **In the meantime, for readers from Canada, Happy Canada Day!**


End file.
